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Saturday, 24 January 2009

This Food Is Slowly Killing You and Your Family

More and more evidence is mounting every day from scientists and researchers revealing that the artificial trans fats that are packed into your food supply in massive quantities are one of the WORST things that you can put into your body. I call them the "evil trannies".

Trans fats have even been compared to cigarettes as being equally bad, if not worse, for your health. Unless you're a label reader, most people don't even realize how many of the foods they eat every day are loaded with these deadly trans fats.

Here's another thing that even most most health professionals don't realize... There is actually a distinction between the nasty artificial trans fats, and some natural trans fats that can actually improve your health and help you get leaner. I wrote an article about this little-known topic previously:

Most people don't realize how bad the problem is with the prevalence of trans fats in our food supply. Did you know that scientific research has indicated that as little as 1-2 grams of artificial trans fat daily in your diet can contribute significantly to your risk of heart disease, cancer, and other health risks. I glanced at a label on a little single serving fruit pie at a corner market the other day, and that little pie had 5 grams of trans fat.

Between processed snack foods, fast foods, and deep fried foods, some people are taking in 20-30 grams of trans fat per day without even realizing it... and yet as little as 1-2 grams/day has been shown to cause health risks! Now you see the HUGE problem and why the health risks are comparable, if not worse, than cigarettes.

The thing is, when it comes to cigarettes, almost everyone in the world understands the health risks with smoking. They simply choose to smoke despite the risks. However, when it comes to trans fats, the vast majority of the population either still does not know how bad trans fats really are for you, or most are not aware how prevalent trans fats are in the food supply, or what foods they are found in. Most people think... "Oh, it's approved by the FDA, so it must be safe". That's foolish thinking.

Good News, Finally!

I just recently saw some great news which is proving that health officials are finally getting the message about how bad artificial trans fats really are for our health and that something needs to be done to protect consumers.

New York city recently became the first major US city to ban artificial trans fats in all restaurants, corner food shops, bakeries, and other types of eateries throughout the entire city. Apparently, the businesses will have approximately 6 months to phase out the use of trans fats in their frying oils, and they will have 18 months to phase out the use of all other trans fats in their foods due to use of margarines, shortenings, and hydrogenated oils added to other products.

On top of that, the state of Massachusetts just introduced a bill that would make them the first state to ban trans fats in restaurants. Other positive and significant changes regarding trans fats in the food industry recently include the fast food chains Wendy's and KFC who have both switched to frying oils without trans fats. Word is that McDonalds and Taco Bell are both researching alternative oils to avoid artificial trans fats as well.

Thankfully things are starting to change as more and more scrutiny continues to force the food manufacturers to reduce and/or eliminate their use of trans fats.

The best advice I can leave you with is that only YOU are looking out for your health, NOT the food companies and restaurants. Therefore, you need to be an educated and informed consumer and read labels to avoid artificial trans fats as best as possible, if not completely.